The Little Neko
by Stahlut
Summary: The Little Neko follows the story of a curious Neko who wants to discover the human world, and the sleeping boy in the library.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all Sekaiichi lovers! this my first attempt at a fanfiction in like five years or something, so I'm not really sure how good it's going to be, but I just had to get it out of my system. So enjoy!**

**Oh and I do not own Sekaiichi hatsukoi, or any of it's wonderful characters...or well Takano would be MINE!**

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><p><strong>The Little Neko<strong>

Once upon a time, as most great stories seem to start, there lived a little Neko named Ritsu. Now this Neko did not live in the human world, but on human designated Neko Sanctuary. The sanctuary was set up some thirty years ago as a safe haven for the Neko population who had been dwindling for some years due to lack of breeding, and blatant abuse from Neko owners. It was funded by a group of Neko lovers or the NL for short, which was then changed to NS (Neko Supporters) as they had some unwelcome connotations with the former name. Their goal was to create a safe place for the Neko to live, where they wouldn't be misused or mistreated, where instead they could feel safe surrounded by their own kind. As the main goal was separation and protection from humans, the running on the sanctuary was left in the hands of the Neko themselves.

This is where Little Ritsu comes in to the sotry, his father who was more commonly known as the Mayor, pretty much ran their little community. He ran it all with an iron fist, and to some it seemed like he took too much control, but to others he was a godsend to their kind. He had set up exchange programs with companies in the city, so Neko's, if they so chose could work. He also even ran his own publishing company, although he did have a human face for the company (for marketing reasons). This meant that Little Ritsu, being the son of Mayor Onodera was taken care of quite well. He was never in want for anything, and his whole was pretty much set, he could live comfortably in a Neko existence that never once dealt with the outside world.

That was all not taking in to account the Neko's own feelings, which were somewhat bored with the world around him. Ritsu wanted to see more of the world, he wanted a taste of what life was like where the humans where, a world where emotions weren't betrayed by their ears. He dreamed that one day he would be able to go the human city that he could bask in the excitement of the lights and sounds.

"What excitement!" he sighed as the Neko leant his back upon the wall, right next to the face of a very intense looking male author. The poster was one of the Neko's most prized possessions, he had found it by accident while walking along the border, and figured one of the exchangers had dropped it. The Neko dreamed of seeing a human like the one of the poster, his little beat faster just imagining what it would be like.

In fact the little Neko, treasured everything in the room, from the mountain of books he had taken from his father's confiscation office. Books which were filled with wonderful stories about humans that made the little Neko long for a world where such adventures could occur; for he was sure that he was able to go to the human world, that somehow they would happen for him too.

Seemingly unable to take the never-ending humdrum of his daily life, in a rare spot of spontaneity, the Little Neko did something he never thought in his life he would do. He smuggled on board the exchange bus into the city. Curling him underneath with all the various bags and umbrellas, far into a corner where no one would be able to spot him. As the bus began to move his face flushed with excitement, the Little Neko hardly able to contain himself. The words kept playing over and over in his head, his tail swishing faster and faster every time, _he was going to see the human city._

The ride into the city, though not terribly comfortable for the Little Neko, was the most exciting of his life, even if he knew he would only glimpse the world outside for a moment. Every bump and turn just reiterated the fact that he was getting closer to something he had dreamed since he had first learnt about the world outside, since he had heard the first story told him by his mother. There was nothing in his life that could ever be more exciting than what he was doing now, and he knew that no one would ever know; after all it was only a glimpse.

The Neko's body was shivering in excitement, his tail unable to stay still was moving frantically, and as the bus began to slow, and then jolt ever so slightly as it stopped, the pounding in his heart became deafening drowning out every other sound. This was the moment he had been waiting for, it had finally come.

Grabbing his tail in his hands he readied himself for the door to be opened, holding his breath, and praying to god that he wouldn't be discovered.

The seconds seemed to be going by incredibly slow, as he waited for the sound of the bus driver, for the click of the doors being opened, and the arrival of his first glance into the city. Then he heard voices, and he knew that it was coming.

"Now remember, the bus will leave at seven on the dot, please make sure you come back in time." Came the voice of the bus driver.

_Babump, babump_ when the little Neko's heart, as he knew they were close. _Babump, babump, _it went again as he heard the familiar click. Babump, babump, as they slowly began to open...and then there was only the stunned silence of a world the little Neko had always dreamed of.

Now he hadn't planned to do anything more than look, but as his eyes soaked in the world outside of the bus. As the sounds flowed into his furry brown ears, he couldn't control his desire to see more, the need completely took over his body, and before he was aware what he was doing he was standing on the sidewalk a few metres from the bus. The Little Neko had somehow managed to manoeuvre his way around all the other Neko's without being seen.

Exhilaration washed over him, as he realised that he was standing in the human city, that he was actually somewhere he had only ever read of in books. Squeezing his tail between his little hands he began to walk the streets moving as fast as his little legs would take him, ready to take in everything around; ready to experience everything this new and exciting world had to offer him.

"Uwaaahh!" the little Neko exclaimed, as he came across something he had never seen in his life, except for on the poster of the purple eyed author.

There where humans.

There were a lot of humans.

There were so many humans, that the little Neko had no idea where to look first.

This was something he had never even imagined before, never in his life had he thought he would see so many humans all in one place. In truth he had never even seen a human in real life before, and he found it far more amazing than he thought he would. They didn't have tails, or ears. Holding tighter to his tail, the little Neko took a few cautious steps forward, not noticing the looks he was getting the humans who where passing him by. There was nothing more awe inspiring than what he was witnessing with his own eyes, then what he was hearing with his ears, and although this city stunk, and made his nose twitch, even that was amazing to Ritsu.

The sights and sounds led the Neko further into the city, his feet taking charge as his mind was so full of everything around him. There was no time to think about anything, as soon as he would start, something else more fascinating would catch his eye, and then he would be onto that.

After a few hours of wandering however, he came upon something which he immediately deemed as the most amazing thing he would ever see in his life. The smell of pastry had him following a man into a building, his nose filled with the delicious scent hadn't let him realise what he had done, and by the time he had his eyes had widened in shock. All around where rows and rows of...books.

There had never been anything more beautiful to him, nothing that he had seen so far that could compare to the books surrounding him. Of course he had heard of libraries before, and they even had one back in the Sanctuary, but they where only books his father's company produced. There was nothing but Neko friendly literature. This was human literature, and there was ten times as many books here than in their provincial library.

Without hesitation he began to walk down the aisle, his fingers gently running over the books, the smell making his face light up. There was nothing quite like the smell of books, it smelled like adventure and home all at the time, it made his heart pound and his chest to purr ever so slightly.

Closing his eyes, and truly absorbing himself in the smell and feel, his feet moving ever so softly upon the ground. It never even occurred to him that their where others around him, or that they where human and not Neko. His ears had tuned out ever sound other then the beating of his heart, slight pit pat of his moving feet, and the swish of his tail. There was nothing quite so...

BANG!

Green eyes snapped open, as he felt weightless of a second, before landing hard on his bottom, thankfully not crushing his tail.

In his daze the Little Neko had not noticed the table in front of him, and had not seen the boy sleeping at said table. Now, as the Neko rubbed his bruised bottom, and began to rise of the floor, he was stopped suddenly by a fluttering in his chest. His eyes widened and he felt himself unable to look away.

The human sitting at the table with his head resting on folded arms was perhaps the most beautiful thing he had seen. Even far more beautiful than the books, the Little Neko conceded, as he crawled on his knees, till his green eyes peeped over the top of the table at the still sleeping human.

An urge ran through the Neko's body, one that he had never felt before, and before he realised what he was doing his little hand had reached out to toward he human. There had never been a time in his life when he had wanted to touch another being, like he wanted t touch the sleeping human. His fingers just in reach, and barely grazing over one of the boy's arms, suddenly shot back as the boy shifted slightly at the touch.

The now trembling Neko, ducked below the table hiding his burning face, he could have sworn that he was going to get caught by the human. Shakily he put a hand over his heart, waiting for the pounding to slow, before he turned slightly on his knees, and hands first lifted his head up to table level, cautiously glancing over the top.

Instead of calming down however, as the little Neko glanced at the boy before him, his heart began to pound far more furiously, and the fluttering came back. The fluttering was making it hard for the little Neko to think, his merely kneeled there gazing at the human boy, hid face flushed a deep shade of red, and a light brown tail swishing dreamily behind him.

The Little Neko, so entranced by the human, that he didn't even notice the passing of time, or the curious stares he got from other patrons of the library. He was merely struck in his own little world, a world that only saw one thing, until a soft voice whispered to the Little Neko.

"We will be closing in a few minutes."

The Little Neko's ears twitched forward as he was brought out of his daze, and he took in the words of the kind, pretty librarian next to him.

"Uwaaahh!" he let out as he realised that outside the windows of the library the sky was much darker then when he had come in. "what's the time?"

The librarian smiling at the flustered Neko pointed to the watch on her wrist. "Getting close to seven." She replied. "It's a bit late for a Kitten such yourself to be out."

Taking this in the Little Neko drew back with surprise, he had been here much longer then he had planned. Thanking the librarian he jolted up from his position, ignoring the tingling in his legs and ran towards the door, hoping that he would not be late. If the Ritsu missed the bus, he knew that he would be in big trouble.

He raced out of the room, not noticing that this motion had stirred the sleeping boy, who as he opened his eyes, noticed a light brown tail swishing around a corner.

In too much of a panic, to notice anything other than his pound feet as he ran down the sidewalk, hoping that he was heading in the right direction, the Little Neko for the time being didn't think of the boy. It wasn't until he thankfully reached the bus pick-up zone, just in time to quickly dive underneath, did his thoughts turn back to his day.

Although he had almost been late, and could have been in big trouble the little Neko could only think, that he really wanted to see the human again. The human who made his heart beat faster, who created that wonderful fluttering, who made hum want to reach and touch him. As he lay there among the bags and umbrellas, little Ritsu's thoughts where completely consumed with being able to see that most magnificent human boy again.

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><p><strong>Okay, so this idea if you haven't noticed actually came to me when I was thinking of adapting a fairytale, and may not be obvious but follows the story of The Little Mermaid (both the disney, and the original). And of course I used SIH to do this, as there was no way I could not use Takano...his voice in the anime just does something to me, I especially love it when he says 'huh', which as he says it so often I have turned it into a drinking game : ) seriously I dare someone to try it.<strong>

**Anyway, please review, and tell if I made mistakes, because I was far to excited after wirting it to read through it properly.**

**mwah!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two**

That was not the last time the boy would sneak into the human world outside the sanctuary. It became a weekly occurrence, and he had to admit that he was getting rather good at sneaking on and off the bus, without any of the other occupants noticing. The fact that he had a habit of going off for hours also meant that neither of his parents ever questioned his long absences.

As it was the Little Neko probably would have risked all that and more, as it was on these days that he was able to watch the boy from the library. Ritsu never questioned why he was always there at those times, and he didn't care as he gazed at him from a short distance, or if he got lucky, he could gaze from across the table. This only happened though, when the boy was sleeping, which was a far too rare occurrence to satisfy the Neko. He wanted to be able to observe the boy closer, to learn every detail of his face, to be witness to every expression that crossed it.

The Neko's interest didn't stop there, however, as he also wished to know about the boy's personality. This led him to take note of what he was reading, and then go seek out the books when he was done and read them himself. It had become a habit that he had been repeating for a few months, taking great joy in holding an object the human had had before him. It was in one these moments when he had learnt the boy's name.

Saga Masamune.

The Little Neko smiled with his new found information, his expression becoming dreamy. It only took such a small thing for him to feel so much closer to the boy then he had ever imagined, and it filled him with a great amount of pleasure.

Saga Masamune.

The human who had filled every waking thought, who had inspired dreams which the little Neko would never say out loud. The only being that made his heart pound and his face flush. There was no way to stop the joy that was overflowing through his body at this discovery, and he found himself unable to control the urge to hug the book that had brought him such happiness. Clutching it as tightly to his chest as possible he let out a contented sigh, this was quite possibly the best day of his life.

The Little Neko had even considered finding out whether the kind librarian would let him take the book with him, so he could prolong this joy, and spend hours staring at the human he was infatuated with...no, not infatuation. This feeling, it had to be greater than that, the Little Neko was sure that this feeling could only be described with one word...Love.

Yes! Onodera Ritsu was in love.

Just thinking it caused a fluttering in his chest, and he almost felt as if he would just fly away his body was so light. In that moment he decided, that yes he would go talk to the librarian, as there was no way that he could just let this book go, not while he was feeling this way.

He was so excited that the Little Neko found it terribly hard to merely walk over to the counter where the librarian was situated, as he wanted to run as fast as his legs would take him. He was feeling far too giddy for going so slow; he was feeling so giddy in fact that he didn't notice that someone else was watching him too. Brown eyes watched him with the slightest spark of Curiosity, unable to comprehend why the Neko had been paying him so much attention.

Ritsu, however, caught up in his own excitement, walked up to the librarian, glanced at her shyly and politely asked to borrow the book. The woman smiled at him kindly, having found great amusement in watching the Neko trying to stealthily watch the boy who came in regularly. With this in mind she couldn't help but want to tease the little kitten, just a little.

"If I didn't know any better, I would swear you swear stalking, Saga-san."

Ritsu's ears immediately drew flat, his tail coming to a complete stop, chin dropping to his chest. He had never thought of that before, was he really stalking his library Senpai? The thought brought forth a pain in the little Neko's chest and for a moment he thought that he might start crying. That wasn't the impression he wanted anyone to have, would Saga Senpai think the same thing if he found out? Would he be marked as a stalker? There was nothing the little Neko could think of that could be worse than that.

The Librarian seeing the Neko's distress, immediately tried to dissuade the situation; this had not been the reaction she had wanted when she teased the poor thing. The woman found rather endearing, and she smiled at how sweet the Neko was.

"Here," she said taking the book from the Neko's hands. "I'll let you borrow the book, alright."

Ears perking up slightly, the little Neko lifted his head. "Do you mean it?" he asked, feeling some of his excitement coming back.

The librarian nodded.

"You just have to right down your name...you can write, can't you?" she added the last part as she remembered that in this world there where many Neko's who weren't give the opportunity to learn to read or write. She didn't want to hurt the poor Neko's feelings twice in one day.

Much to her relief, the little Neko grabbed the pen from her hand nodding his head in affirmation. "I write very well." He said as he bent over the paper before him.

The Neko wrote his name out in full, and went to hand it back to the librarian, when the comment from a few moments ago flashed through his mind, the word STALKER flashing the brightest. Quickly he scribbled out Onodera, and instead wrote Oda, figuring that if it wasn't his full name he wouldn't seem like a stalker to the human of his affections. There was also upon further thought, the fact that he probably shouldn't be using his surname in such a public place. He was after all a Neko, and his father was the most powerful Neko in the country.

Satisfied with the change he handed the paper back to the librarian who stamped it, placed it inside the book before handed the book back to the little Neko. Ritsu grabbed onto the book and held it too his chest again, feeling his happiness slowly starting to come back.

"Thank you, so much." He said to the librarian, giving her a shy and sweet smile.

The woman smiled fondly back at the Neko, before he moved over to another section of the library, where he could read and surreptitiously watch the human boy. He still had a little time before he had to sneak back onto the bus, and every moment of it he wanted to be watching the human who had unknowingly stolen his little Neko heart. He wished that he could stay in his little library world forever, he wished that this was all that existed. It was so much better to him then the world he would have to go back to, the world where nothing ever happened, where he was just Ritsu the son of the mayor.

These thoughts stayed in his mind until he had to reluctantly leave. He said goodbye to his Saga Masamune in his mind, before he walked out of the library, the book clutched tightly to his chest as he walked back to the bus. At least this time he was bringing a little piece of his human back with him, and with that he smiled the whole way back to the sanctuary.

The smile remained on his face for the rest of the night, for the first time in a long time the little Neko was in a good mood. And he had the book he was now holding in his hands to account for this fact.

The smile remained on his face even when his long time friend entered the room. She was the only one who knew about his room filled with Human paraphernalia, and she was the only one who Ritsu trusted not to tell anyone else about. An-chan was in many ways Ritsu's only friend. Of course this also meant that when she came in now, she knew immediately that there was something different about him tonight.

"Is something going on Ritsu?" she asked as she took a seat next to him on the floor, trying not to stare at the poster on the other side of the room.

Ritsu's eyes widened and he clutched the book tighter to his chest. For the first time in his life he wasn't sure if he could tell her about this, but he also wasn't really sure if he could lie. When An-chan looked at him like that the truth always just seemed to come blurting out, but the little Neko was sure that even _she_ would have a problem with this secret.

With that in mind, he quickly stammered out an, "I'm fine, An-chan." Hoping she would just let it drop.

Letting out a sigh, she looked him over carefully. The slight flush on his cheeks and the way he kept fidgeting, made it obvious to her that her friend was lying to her, but seeing as though this had never happened before, she was willing to let it slide. That was until she noticed a certain book in the other Neko's hands.

"What's that?" she said suddenly, in accusatory tone.

The Little Neko's head shot up, surprise and fear taking him over in equal parts. His first reaction was to hide said object behind his back, but as soon as he did it he knew that it was the wrong things to do. The lighter Neko not wasting any time she grabbed at it, her body working quicker than Ritsu's, and slender fingers ripping out of his hands and pulling it closer for inspection.

There was a moment of complete silence as she looked the book over, and then opened the cover. She had noticed it at first because she knew what all of Ritsu's books looked like, and she had most definitely never seen this one before. Then with his reaction to her observation she was sure that the truth to the smile on his face was in this book, and sure enough as she turned the cover she saw exactly what it was.

"This is from a human library."

Her voice had come out in a disbelieving voice, as she wanted it not to be true. Then she looked up at Ritsu, who was holding his tail between his hands, unable to look his oldest friend in the eye.

Suddenly she stood, her hands gathering in fists as she looked at the Little Neko with anger. "You went to the human city, didn't you?"

There was no way the Little Neko could think to deny this, and in the face of her anger there was nothing but guilt eating away at his heart. He had known that it was wrong to hide such a thing from her; he should have known that it would have hurt her. It was just that he couldn't think about anything else, not when his thoughts had been solely centred on the human in the library.

"I'm sorry." He said in a small voice, his ears going flat, and eyes dropping to the floor.

An-chan looked at the other Neko on the ground her anger dissipating somewhat. "Its okay, Ritsu, but you have to promise me that you won't go back there again."

"No!" The little Neko yelled out moving forward so he was now on his knees.

Both the Neko's looked completely shocked at the outburst, but Ritsu the most as he grabbed the book back out of An-chan's hands and held it to him. "I have to go back." He whispered.

The expression on the Little Neko's face was one the girl had never seen before, and she realised that it was an expression she had been hoping to when he thought of her. The Little Neko had found someone he cared about, and as the cogs in her mind put everything together. This time her face was full of shock, and there was a pain in her chest, the Little Neko never looked at her like that, but he had found a human.

"You're in Love with a human, aren't you?"

The Little Neko couldn't look up; he just stayed there staring at his feet. There were so many warring emotions inside his little heart that he didn't know which one he should be going with. He didn't want his friend to be upset, but there was no way that he could even for a second consider not going back to see the human boy, just the very thought of it made his chest constrict in pain.

"A relationship with a human will never happen, you know that don't you, Ritsu. There's only one thing they'd ever use us for, but nothing else could happen. We're merely pets to them, expendable."

The words sank in for the Little Neko, for although he didn't want to be believed that they were true, knew that he couldn't deny the facts. When a Neko got to a certain age they were all given a talk, and a shown a video which explained how things where in the world outside the sanctuary.

Outside the sanctuaries walls, Neko's had no rights; there existence was on par with a pet. Except that in certain cases, somewhere used for far less innocent things and according to the law it was all perfectly legal.

Ritsu had known all of this, but with the excitement of his first love, he had pushed it all aside and forgotten the truth of a Neko's existence. Even if the human knew who he was, there was no way that he could ever fall in love with him, there was no way he would ever be seen as anything more than a pet, a lesser being. This realisation cause the Little Neko to burst into tears, his heart breaking as the cruel truths sank in.

The girl Neko standing in front of him felt her own heart constrict at the sight. There was something that she knew she shouldn't say to her depressed friend, but in a moment of pity she told him a secret that in any other circumstance would never leave her lips. The girl knew of someone who could help her Little Neko friend, knew of someone who could give the boy a chance at having his human fall in love.

Kneeling down in front of him, her head bumping against his in affection she whispered in his ear. "There is a doctor that no one dares talk about out loud." She started, "They say that he can do anything, even make a Neko into a human."

The little Neko looked up in surprise, a light flutter of hope in his heart at the words.

"I can only tell you what I have heard, but if you go to him he might be able to help."

The girl told the Little Neko everything that she knew, and he took it all in with a renewed sense of happiness flowing through him. If he could somehow find away to become human, then he knew that he would have a far greater chance at being with his beloved human, or at the very least have his human, actually look at him in return.

"Thank you, An-chan." He said, as he prepared to change his Little Neko life forever.

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><p><strong>Wow, I never thought I'd get so into to writing a fanfiction, but thanks to a few other authors and their fics, mainly Don't Preach and Otaku Frappe, whose Neko fabulous works caused me to catch the Neko fever and want to write my own. Hopefully I'll get this story to completion, although I am leaving overseas in about two weeks, with an open ending to when I will actually be back. Guess we just can't control when inspiration will strike (^ O^)<strong>

**Also I wanted to address the fact that I couldn't remember how An-chan addresses Ritsu. I did try to look it up, but got carried away by Takano, and just never got around to finding the bits with her in it. So sorry if I offended anyone. **

**And yes, I know the rating is M and I haven't written anything smutty! The truth is I've never actually written anything like that before, and although I think it will be something that needs to come in when it develops further, I'm not sure how to go about it. My own only knowledge is what I've read, so if anyone has any tips for me, please send them on...if I'm going to do it, I want to do it right. Nothing worse than badly written smut lol.**

**Okay, I think I have addressed everything I wanted to...thinking...thinking...maybe...That aside I'll leave you all to HOPEFULLY review the chapter and tell me what you think, good or bad!**

**Mwah!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

It wasn't easy for the little Neko to climb over the fence that lined the border of the sanctuary. With a little determination, however, and a lot of effort, he somehow made it over with only a few minor scratches and grazes. And soon enough he was dusting himself off and following an-chan's directions towards the doctor's house.

There were not many houses just outside the sanctuary; in fact there were not many humans who wanted to live there at all. Apart from the Neko supporters, who had been the ones to set up the sanctuary in the first place, it seemed a good portion of the human population where under the impression that it was a blasphemy and was somehow inconveniencing them. The Little Neko had never understood this, as these people had nothing to do with it, most of the sanctuary was supported by the funds brought in by them, and anything else was from the NS, who also didn't take any money from the government.

There had been a few jokes, that perhaps the humans should be the pets, if they could become put out by something that didn't by any means have anything to do with them in the slightest. These jokes generally came from the Neko's who lived solely in the sanctuary, a place where they where freely given education, and to strive towards a better life for themselves. In the sanctuary a Neko had options; there was a chance that they could have a proper future. On the outside, not so much.

The Little Neko didn't think about any of this as he made his way toward the doctor, and what would hopefully be his chance to be closer to his human. There was a mixture of excitement and fear. He knew that this could be his only chance to become someone who the human boy might actually look at, but at the same time, he would be changing something that had defined a big part of his existence.

This all came down to whether the stories where true of course, as An-chan had informed him, the whole thing could just be a story, the doctor might not even exist. The Little Neko didn't dwell on this fact, and just kept his heart set on his goal, on the one thing that had completely filled his heart and his existence. If he was a human then there was the slightest hope that the human boy could like him back, or at the very least him as a being on equal standing.

He crossed through the woods, and passed the minor establishments which had been set up outside. There weren't many people around generally so he was pretty safe if he just stuck to the outskirts as he was, and wasn't long before he had passed back into the woods again.

Following the directions to a T he found the house quite quickly. It didn't' look terribly ominous or scary, as one might imagine a secluded house run by a doctor to be. In fact the Little Neko found his hope grow as he looked at the dimly lit building, with a pleasant rosebush garden. There was nothing at all to be afraid of in this situation, and Ritsu soon found his feet moving round the side of the house.

According to An-chan's directions, there was supposed to be a green door round the side of the house, and he was supposed knock three times, wait, then knock twice quickly. The sound of his little fist on wood seemed to resound through the Little Neko, and he felt a wave of nausea crash over him. Now all he had to do was wait, wait and see if the doctor would come, wait and see if wanted most could ever come true.

Creaking footsteps followed minutes after, and the Little Neko grabbed his tail between trembling hands, this was it. His ears moved to take in every sound, to hear every noise that passed through the house, until the green door began to move with a squeak, and then the _doctor_ stood before him.

"Hello Little Neko," the doctor said in a raspy voice, a smile on her face. "So what may I ask has brought you to my door today, my specialty is helping Little Neko's like yourself."

Although she smiled at him pleasantly, he still felt a small amount of apprehension, this human woman before seemed to leave a bad feeling in his stomach. Nevertheless he followed her inside the house as she beckoned him after her, her high heels clacking on wooden floors.

The Little Neko walked past room after room, before they finally entered one at the back of the house. He stood awkwardly staring at the doctor, before she turned to him her eyes analysing him, from head to toe.

"How about you tell me what you want?" she said suddenly, even though the look in her eyes gave the Neko the impression that she already knew.

Wringing his hands around his tail, he tried to get the words out as best he could. "I want you to make me human."

The woman stared at him for a long time, her face expressionless, before she moved quickly to the other side of the room. Her hands gliding over different jars and tubs filled with all kinds of things, sorting through paper, before finally resting on one. Pulling it forward she examined it briefly, before again turning her attention back to the Little Neko.

"Well, you are in luck today little Kit; I have just the thing you're looking for. Although at this stage it is only experimental."

The Little Neko looked at her apprehensively weighing the pros and cons of the decision he was about to make. It was a big risk to be taking, one that could go terribly wrong. Especially considering the fact that he had just met this human woman, and had no idea if he could even trust her or not.

Then an image of Saga Masamune popped into his mind, and he remembered what he was doing this for in the first place, that he was willing to pay any price to have a chance with the human boy.

Determination filled him as he looked up at the doctor. "I'll do it."

The Doctor laughed, her eyes crinkling as she settled herself against the bench behind her. "I haven't even told you what the treatment is yet, silly Kitty. It's not too smart to agree to something before you know the details, although it does make it a little easier on me, knowing you'll say yes."

A blush blossomed on the Little Neko's cheeks; he had been so caught up in his worries, and his decision to do anything to be with the human boy, that he hadn't even thought that far ahead yet. He felt like a complete an utter idiot, as he watched the doctor search around the cupboards for something.

Suddenly she pulled something's forward and set them down on a bench in front of the Little Neko. His eyes widened with curiosity as she moved them about and rearranged them, before finally setting her attention onto him. Her dark brown eyes taking him in seriously, so serious in fact that Neko couldn't help but feel a little shiver run down his spine. This was all really about to happen.

"This is an injection." The doctor said, picking up a needle in front of her. "This is what will do most the work, and start your body's reaction."

"Then this," she continued, now holding up a small beaker filled with a light green liquid. "Will help your body adjust and speed up the entire process, which will then be followed a succession of milder doses of the same thing.

"Don't ask me how it works, because I couldn't explain it to you in any way that would make sense, and truthfully I don't know. A friend of mine came up with it, and it had only been trialled once."

The Little Neko nodded his head at her, while is eyes stayed fixated on the objects in front of him. In his mind he tried to come with an explanation of his own, but as he looked at it, he was just really glad that there wasn't going to be any cutting of any kind. He'd heard horror stories of Neko's having tails and ears cut off, from what he could tell it never ended well for the Neko's, and quite often resulted in death.

The doctor's voice broke the Neko out of his thoughts, as she moved on. "Now, I'll tell you the side effects beforehand. Firstly it can cause pins and needles in your feet, sometimes to the extent where it feels as if you were walking on knives. Also you might find that your voice to may not work quite as well as it did before, though this will pass, just try to keep talking to a minimum."

_Walking on knives!_ The Little Neko thought with some apprehension, that wasn't something that sounded terribly painful; though when he really thought about it, he supposed that it could have been much, much worse. All in all there could have been far scarier side effects, and it wasn't exactly a deal breaker.

"Though, that is just what was found in the first trial, there could be others we will discover with you. Also, seeing as though it is a trial, there won't be any need for payment, other than your voice of course." The woman finished with an indifferent expression.

"My voice?" the little yelped. "You want to take my voice."

His little ears had shot up and his tail stilled, it seemed a weird thing for someone to ask for as a payment. And besides that, he needed his voice, how else would he be able to talk to his human...you know, if he ever worked up the courage to actually talk to the human boy.

At the fearful look on the Little Neko's face however, the woman began to laugh. "Oh dear, I didn't mean that I would actually steal your voice. I meant that I would be recording you during the process, I'm sorry, I worded it quite strangely."

The Little Neko, calmed down immediately and he let out a relieved sigh. If all that the woman wanted was to record him then again that was far better than he had been expecting. In fact he felt far less apprenshion now about going through with the whole process, well, other than the fear of changing everything about himself, and becoming human.

"I'll do it." the Little Neko said for the second night. "I'll do whatever it takes."

At the look of determination on the Neko's face the doctor nodded. "Good, then we shall begin."

There was a pain and a strange tingling sensation throughout the Neko's body, which described out loud to the microphone that was clipped onto his chest. So far he had passed through the first few stages of his treatment, and he felt strange to say the least. At first it had just been a numb feel which spread out from his tail and ears, but then it had started to tingle and burn, and the appendages seemed to move slower, feel heavier.

Now as he lay in the room where the doctor had left him, he felt the pain begin to increase. It seared throughout his body, and tears suddenly sprang into the little Neko's eyes. He wanted the pain to stop; he wanted this to all be over. It was only the thought of Saga Masamune that was keeping him yelling out that he changed his mind, that he wanted to stay a Neko.

Saga Masamune.

The name rang in his head, and he thought of only that as his body began to burn, as his chest constricted. Only that could distract him from what was happening to his body, and the overwhelming knowledge that he couldn't turn back from this.

Saga Masamune.

It was the last thing on his mind before he fell into unconsciousness.

He woke some time later feeling rather groggy, his body was no longer in excruciating pain, but it still felt off. There was definitely something different about it now, and he most definitely did not feel normal.

The presence of the doctor comforted him somewhat as she smiled down at him. There was too much actual happiness in her face for there to have been any complications, so he figured that it would be fine if sat up on the bed.

"Good morning, Little Neko!" she chirped when he finally reached a sitting position. "Or should I say, former Neko."

The Little Neko blinked for a moment not quite processing the words that had just left the doctors mouth, until it hit him square on. At which point he jumped from the bed, his weary body moving at full speed towards the mirror that was on the wall.

He blinked.

He blinked again.

There was no possible way that what he was seeing was real. For before was no longer a Neko, but a Human. There wasn't even a mark of where his former ears or tail had been, there was no indication in the slightest that he had ever been a Neko. He checked again and again, desperately trying to find anything that said he was still a Neko, but there was none.

Onodera Ritsu was no longer a Neko. Onodera Ritsu was now officially a human, just like the boy of his dreams.

There were so many emotions whirling inside his small body, that he wasn't quite sure what he felt. At the forefront he felt strange, looking at his non-Neko form in the mirror was an odd feeling. There had never been a time in his fifteen years of life that he would have thought that he would no longer have ears and a tail.

"It really worked." Where the words that finally came out of the Little Neko's mouth.

There was nothing more to be said as he stood there looking himself over. He had dreamt of the impossible, and had finally gotten it, and now he was going to do something that was impossible. He was going to find the human boy, and he was going to actually be able to stand on equal ground with him. He was no longer a Neko, and so there was no longer any boundary between them. The Little Neko believed that he finally had a chance.

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><p><strong>Hmm so this hasn't actually been edited, and truthfully I'm just not happy with it, but no matter how many times I tried it just didn't want to seem to work for me. Not to mention the fact that today is the first day I was able to type with my arm feeling like it wanted to fall off! Seriously it was a pain in bottom! Oh and that's also why it was quite short!<strong>

**Anyway, I'll move on from such annoying things and proceed to talk about other, more pleasant, things. Like the fact that I am so very grateful to the wonderful people who favourited and alerted this story...seriously you guys are so amazingly awesome that I want to give a big kiss and an even bigger hug! **

**Although my two wonderful reviewers get soooo much more than that...they get my undying love and devotion! Especially Don't Preach, who in case you didn't work out from my review reply, was seriously touched by your review, and will admit that it made me so happy I might just fall in love with you!**

**Now I think that's it my pretties and I hope that this chapter wasn't a big disappointment because it is rather vital to the story as a whole. Also there should be some Takano in the next chapter...which may excite me more than it does you...hmm.**

**Oh, and I re-read the original little Mermaid a few times while writing this, and anyone picks up any hints of that, they will get a big kiss on the cheek!**

** mwa mwa!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back! Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter four<strong>

The doctor had made it clear that it the Little Neko would not be able to leave until she deemed him fit, stating that although he seemed to be doing fine there could be psychological ramifications from such a sudden change. At first he had protested, but then after a few hours he found himself going to grab his tail in nervousness, or expecting to feel the twitch of his ears. When this happened he was overwhelmed by a deep sadness that he couldn't quite explain, like something was missing. It was these moments that led him to agree with the doctor.

No matter how he wanted to race out the door and go and find his human, he knew that it was safer to wait until he could face the human world a bit better.

The doctor was nice enough as well, she never mistreated him or hurt him in anyway, which he was very grateful for. It was just that she could for the most part be kind of withdrawn, focused on the details, focused not on him as a Neko, or ah, human. This left him still feeling a little weary around her, even if she had helped him without getting all that much in return.

The name Saga Masamune was the only thing that really got him through the lonely nights, which kept his mind from running onto to things he didn't want to be thinking about. There was a family he had left behind, a friend who had been with him through everything. If he stopped and focused on them he would never have recovered, for deep inside he felt that they would be disappointed in him, and he couldn't deal with that.

As he shivered in his bed, he reached out a hand, intent on stroking his tail for comfort, only to find that there was nothing there. The realisation brought tears to his eyes, for humans didn't have anything for him to comfort himself with. It wasn't the first time he missed his tail, but it was the hardest.

Saga Masamune.

The name brought a little bit of relief to him, enough so that his tears slowed down. The boys face was in his mind, and as he hugged himself the face slowly brought him into sleep. His dreams where filled with the things he was hoping for, for everything that would finally make him happy. It was an almost peaceful sleep, if it hadn't been for the few moments he woke up, still hoping to be grabbing onto an appendage that no longer existed.

It was a few days later when the doctor told Ritsu that she had collected all the data that she needed, when she told him that he seemed to be getting used to the loss of the appendages. There was also a statement that he had reacted to it just the way she had suspected he would.

The Little Neko had listened intently, his chest constricting painfully while his pulse raced. This meant that he was finally going to pursue what he had been after from the beginning that the moment was finally upon him. Now, there he wasn't going to say that he wasn't ecstatically happy, because his heart was racing after a while and thought's of his human where racing through his mind. There was, however, and apprehension there as well. For the last few weeks he had lived in a world of his own, a world where he was safe, and everything had merely been a dream. There was no way to stop the fear that crept in when he realised that he was so close to everything actually being real.

"Now," the doctor began. "I can't begin to understand what may or may not happen when you're finally out there. There could be side effects that we haven't expected, and you yourself may have a late mental reaction."

The Doctor looked at The Little Neko for a long moment, as if wanting to make sure that the information had actually sunk in. As he had been a little all over the place all morning, with nerves and excitement he couldn't really blame her for it, so he nodded his head and tried to look as serious as possible.

After a moment the Doctor seemed satisfied and continued. "In the case of anything unexpected happening, I need you to call me straight away. But only if it's a medical emergency, anything else I won't be able to help with."

The Neko took the number from her with shaking hands, and tucked into his shirt pocket, fumbling with the buttons a little. The Doctor had lent him clothes that a human would wear, and which she said would make him less conspicuous, but he had a bit of trouble wearing them. There were too many buttons on the jacket, and they weren't as comfortable as his normal clothes where. He also didn't like that it was all in black, except for the white shirt underneath, but with the buttons done up no one could see it. In short he didn't really like them, but the Doctor assured him it would help him fit in, so he didn't question it.

Everything the Doctor told him in fact was something that he merely accepted, knowing that his knowledge of the human world considered solely of his illegal visits to the city. And they were spent with him watching the human he loved, not finding out exactly how humans lived or what they wore. So any help he could get was help that he would gladly accept, even if the Doctor still intimidated him to the extreme.

Today it was especially important that he listened, as he was set to leave; he had a bag packed, and was ready to be shipped off to the city, and Saga Masamune. There was a tingly feeling in his chest as he thought this, which almost eradicated the nausea in his stomach.

Apparently there was a friend of the Doctor's in the city who was willing to let the ex-Neko stay with them, even if they may or may not have known that he was an ex-Neko. The Doctor didn't' mention to him how much they actually knew, besides he was far too nervous to ask; so he let it slide, just happy that he wouldn't' have to try and find somewhere to stay himself.

Even if instead he was being picked up by a complete stranger, taken into the city, and into one of the most terrifying and reckless things the ex-Neko had ever done before in his life. He knew he was shaking as he sat waiting; counting down the moments, while watching the clock hands. Tick, tick, tick, tick... he could swear his heart was almost beating in sync, as if it was just as anxious as he was.

"Settle down." The doctor said after a while, obviously growing annoyed by the ex-Neko's constant shuffling. "I know this is a big step, and I know that you have your reasons, and that there's obviously something you're trying to get to, but your constant shuffling is going to give me a headache."

The Little ex-Neko stopped immediately, and for a moment he could almost feel his ears pressing forward, until he realised that there weren't any ears. The feeling was merely a memory, something the Doctor described as phantom feelings. He'd been having these for a while, but they still unnerved him, because it just didn't seem right that he could feel something that didn't exist, and not to mention that they made him incredibly sad. And right now he didn't want to miss his Neko self, because he was human and he was prepared to find his human, and...and...and do something. He had a chance now, so he didn't want to feel any regret for what he had done.

No sooner had this thought entered his mind, when there was a knock coming from the outside door; the same door that he himself had entered on his first night coming here. The thought left him feeling strange, as at this moment it seemed like it was a life time ago, so much had change since then, more then he could have imagined. At the same time it also seemed like it was only yesterday, and that everything was happening far too quickly.

In only moments he would be his way, headed towards the city.

The Little ex-Neko was incredibly grateful that it was the Doctor who was opening the door and letting the person in. Truthfully he needed a minute to try and compose himself, to try and stop the shaking of his limbs. He had to push through the nerves because this was happening, this was finally happening. Onodera Ritsu was about to do something that he would have never imagined he was capable off. He could only thank An-chan in his thoughts for helping him find his way here, even if she hadn't fully understood how he felt. Without her he would still be pining away, sneaking in and out of the city on a bus.

"Thank you." He whispered under his breath, moments before the door was opened and his escort stepped through.

The man was pretty nondescript; the kind of person wouldn't really take much notice of. It left the little ex-Neko not feeling comfortable or uncomfortable in his presence, in fact at this moment looking at him he didn't know what to feel. He stood still merely looking at the man with dark hair and glasses. This was the person who would be taking him in, who was bringing closer to the human boy. That alone made him like him just a little bit, even if he didn't quite trust him yet.

"This is Yuuichi-san," The Doctor said as she followed him in, "He's going to be taking you into Tokyo, he's also who you will be staying with."

The man stepped forward a smile on his face. "It's nice to meet you...ah"

"Onodera Ritsu." The ex-Neko filled in, while giving a short bow of his head.

There wasn't much time after introductions, when the Doctor was getting the little ex-Neko ready to set off. He didn't exactly have much stuff, but the Doctor had given him enough to last a little while, at least until he could get some of his own. And then it was out the door and towards the man's car, only stopping when the Doctor put a hand on his arm.

"I almost forgot to tell you," she started taking on a more serious look. "Try not to let your emotions get too out of hand, it may have an adverse effect on your body."

The little ex-Neko was quite sure what she was referring to, but he nodded his head anyway stepping into the car. His nerves where going crazy at the moment and so it was almost impossible for him to even think about anything. In fact sitting where he was he couldn't even think about anything, his mind was fuzzy, and it felt like he might start crying from the nerves.

"Goodbye, little Neko." The Doctor whispered as she closed the door, her parting words said with a small smile.

This was it, thought Little Ritsu; this was the moment when his life was going to make the change he had been waiting for. For some reason it felt like he was making an even bigger life change in this moment then when he undergone the procedure to change into a human. It was a bit strange for him to think like that, but he supposed it must be because he cared about the human more. Thinking about him right now made his face flush.

Saga Masamune was finally within his reach. As a human he could get closer, closer than a Neko would ever be allowed.

There was no more Doctor, there was no more dark cold room, and there was just Ritsu and his dream. And as he drifted off to sleep in the back of the man's car thoughts of Saga Masamune filled his head, and left a smile on his face. This was a new start; the start of something he hoped would be great. The start of his first love.

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><p><strong>Okay first things first, I'm sorry that it took me so long to get another chapter up, but I haven't been back home in a long time. It felt too weird trying to write this while I was travelling overseas, and Ritsu and Takano deserve my full attention.<strong>

**Now I will say that in Tokyo I found awesome Sekaiichi Hatsukoi posters, which I will love and treasure for the rest of my days...seriously Akihabara is like Geek heaven and even thinking about makes my little fan girl heart go nuts. Well, that s unless you walk into the wrong section of the manga store cause you can't actually read kanji...that was a tad embarrassing! **

**So yes, after encounters with sleazy guys, and one who almost followed me all the way back to my hotel in Paris, begging to come with me or for me to go with him (I know creepy right) and experience beyond compare, I am back, and prepared to write to my heart's content.**

**Actually I'm not sure I'm happy with this chapter...I started out alright but I may have to read over my work a few times to get fully in the swing of it, I have a feeling I may have said the same thing a few times just in different words. Also if there are any contradictions in there please let me know because I may have missed them. **

**Oh oh I just wanted to thank everyone who favourited and alerted, you seriously have no idea how happy you have made me right now. And of course a major thanks to those who showed me some review love I was thinking of you when I was in Tokyo...okay so that may be a lie but whatever. **

**The point is: Don't preach/ Cerberus revived and Kallen11 you are currently the people I love most in the world, you make me want to run around screaming for joy...well now that I'm back home and won't look like some slightly unhinged tourist!**

**Thank you! mwa mwa!**

**P.s I'm also sorry it's kind of short**


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